FOUR
WES
“I am the dungeon master.Welcome to the Horsemen.”
I stared at Austin Calloway and wondered how the fuck this guy ever got laid.
Then again, the way his eyes lit up talking about made-up worlds and monsters, I kind of got it. Some people were just built for quests and happy endings. I used to think I was one of them.
Around Brody’s kitchen table, I sat with Austin, Hayes, Brody, and Cal. Years ago we’d joined a men’s softball team and continued the tradition of weekly meetings during the offseason. In the past we’d done poker or board games—anything that gave us an excuse to come together for a few beers and some laughs. Austin had suggested we try our hand at Dungeons & Dragons this time.
It was weird, but whatever. I gripped my thigh to ease the phantom pain. Besides, running bases really wasn’t in the cards for me anymore, and it gave me an excuse to leave my house.
“So what is this again?” Cal asked with narrowed eyes.
Austin sighed. “It’s called a campaign.” His hand moved to his chest. “I’m the dungeon master.” Brody and Cal snickered, but Austin kept explaining. “You are the players. I’ll give youdescriptions and information about the areas you’re in, react to whatever you do, and tell a story while we do it. As the players, you go around interacting with everything—solving puzzles, exploring, engaging in combat—that kind of thing.”
Austin talked with his hands like he was pitching a multimillion-dollar deal instead of a pretend elf problem. The guy had never half-assed anything in his life, which was why I had hired him in the first place.
“Oh,” Cal chimed in. “So it’s like a video game but without the console.”
Austin grinned. “Exactly.”
Brody bumped his half brother in the shoulder. “I think little Winnie’s overactive imagination is rubbing off on you.”
The tips of Austin’s ears reddened. He and Selene Darling had gone from neighbors to lovers, and things seemed pretty serious. Selene’s daughter was precocious, but a sweet kid. Despite Selene being older than him, Austin seemed to fit into their lives seamlessly. They made it look easy—like you could just slide into a ready-made family and know exactly where you fit.
Watching it made something in my chest twist.
Self-pity crept up my back. I had never given too much thought to having a family. I’d always assumed it would happen eventually. Now I was damaged and angry, and the prospect of becoming an actual recluse was feeling closer every day.
I could see it so clearly—me in ten years, yelling at kids to get off my lawn from behind a curtain, leg aching and beer gut hanging over my sweats.
Hell of a retirement plan.
“You okay?” Hayes leaned over to ask.
It was his new favorite question and my least favorite one to answer.
I bristled and hated myself for it. “I’m good.” I focused my attention on what Austin was saying and not the worried look lingering on Hayes’s face. “Are we going to start or what?”
Austin grinned and leaned forward to whisper. He was living for this. “You’re all travelers in a distant land. A nefarious and mysterious noble has given you a quest. To aid you in your journey, he gives you each a horse and some weaponry. Brody, you’re a fighter. Your horse is bright white and the nobleman has given you a bow. Cal ... you are given a black horse and wear a magical ring.”
Cal nodded and grinned, getting into it. “Badass.”
Austin smirked as he continued: “Hayes, you are a Human Aasimar Cleric who provides guidance and leadership. Your horse is pale, like the moonlight. Your staff is the source of your celestial power.”
Of course Hayes got the pale horse. In Star Harbor, the man couldn’t trip over a curb without somebody muttering about curses and bad omens.
I swallowed thickly, unsure why I felt nervous as Austin’s gaze tracked to me. “Wes, you will be our Warforged Paladin. You’re a warrior, but also a healer. You carry a longsword and ride a red horse.”
A warrior.
Flashes of my time as a Delta Force operator shook me. Ihadbeen a warrior, but that was a lifetime ago. Now I was a shell of that man. It was hard to even muster the enthusiasm to play one in Austin’s stupid game.
My body remembered what it felt like to be that guy—the one other men followed without question. My brain reminded me I couldn’t even make it down my own porch steps without eating shit.
“As a unit, your armor is unrivaled,” Austin continued, “and you carry your mission atop your mighty steed.” Austin’s gazewas steady and focused. “After this nobleman provides your weapon and horse, he gives you the collective mission to escape the dungeon.”
